Itchy and Scratchy and Marge (20 Dec. 1990)

Marge becomes a crusader against cartoon violence after watching 'The Itchy and Scratchy Show'.

Directors:

Jim Reardon, David Silverman

Writers:

Matt Groening (created by), James L. Brooks (developed by),

Stars:

Dan Castellaneta, Julie Kavner, Nancy Cartwright

Cast

Episode cast overview:
Dan Castellaneta	...	Homer Simpson / Krusty the Clown / Animator #1 / Smartline Announcer / Italian Artist (voice)
Julie Kavner	...	Marge Simpson / Cartoon Squirrel (voice)
Nancy Cartwright	...	Bart Simpson / Nelson Muntz / 'Porch Pals' Itchy / 'Porch Pals' Scratchy (voice)
Yeardley Smith	...	Lisa Simpson (voice)
Harry Shearer	...	Scratchy / Animator #2 / Kent Brockman / Dr. Marvin Monroe / Commercial Voice (voice)
Pamela Hayden	...	Milhouse Van Houten (voice)
Maggie Roswell	...	Animator #3 / Reporter / Helen Lovejoy / Maude Flanders (voice)
Alex Rocco	...	Roger Meyers Jr. (voice)

Storyline

When Maggie attacks her father,Psycho-style with a mallet,Marge blames the violent TV cartoon series 'Itchy and Scratchy' and gets it banned. Children,released from the spell of constant television viewing,learn to play outdoors again. However when Marge refuses to condemn Michelangelo's David as obscene she is branded a hypocrite and the cartoon is restored.

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Plot Keywords:

psycho spoof | 2d animation | homicidal baby | reference to jane fonda

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Genres:

Animation | Comedy | Family

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Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

20 December 1990 (USA)

Company Credits

Production Co:

20th Century Fox Television, Gracie Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

30 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Itchy and Scratchy are loosely based on Warner Bros' The Sylvester & Tweety Show and MGM's Tom and Jerry.

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Quotes

Homer Simpson: Twenty million women in the world and I had to marry Jane Fonda!

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Crazy Credits

Michael Camarillo is listed twice under "Background Cleanup"

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Connections

Spoofs ABC News Nightline (1980)

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Soundtracks

"Beautiful Dreamer"
(uncredited)
Written by Stephen Foster

User Reviews

"Itchy and Scratchy and Marge" is the perfect balance of dark humor... it portrays the joys of cartoon violence and the struggle of parents against this form of entertainment.

Very well-written episode that challenges cartoon violence. There's plenty of hilarity and scenes that play tribute to classic moments. The best scene, in my opinion, is when Maggie pulls out a mallet and hits Homer in the head in a classic scene playing tribute to "Psycho". The climax is awesome. The surprise element is awesome. The plot is wonderfully written into the story. Basically, Marge examines the Itchy and Scratchy on television to find that Maggie duplicates actions she sees during the cartoon. And so, Marge makes it her mission to stop cartoon violence by creating conflict with the cartoon company, all the way to Roger Meyers, Jr. And so, the episodes are toned down, allowing Maggie to adapt to a less violent nature... along with hundreds of other children. Eventually, Marge's campaign is crossed as she doesn't find a problem with Michelangelo's "David" coming to town... which means that since she doesn't mind nude art... then she shouldn't mind violent humor. And so, the cartoon company re-establishes its goal of churning out grisly and painful episodes of Itchy and Scratchy, delivering the ever-popular dose of entertainment to children which they constantly crave. I loved this episode... it was very vivid... the violent scenes were very memorable and played a huge role in creating the mood. Overall, it was the perfect balance of satire and dark humor.